Stumbling In The Dark
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Tony brings the Stark Expo back to NY in the aftermath of the Civil War in order to keep up appearances. Against her better judgement, Natasha invites him to stay at her place while he's in town.
1. Chapter 1

The air was so thick with excited energy and anticipation at the center of Flushing Meadow Park that she could practically smell it as it sizzled through the crowd of thousands.

Natasha Romanoff pulled up the hood of her jacket and craned her neck towards the Stark Pavilion as the announcer called Tony Stark to the stage. It had been more than three months since he'd warned her to run in the wake of what he undoubtedly took as betrayal.

The stage went dark and it was silent for a long stretch of a moment and she pursed her lips, wondering not for the first time, what she was really doing here. A large boom sounded as red and gold fireworks exploded over the stage and the noise was thunderous as the crowd of thousands, possibly even tens of thousands, erupted into cheers.

He ran out into the middle of the stage, like a rockstar with his perfectly gelled hair, big dark glasses and wide, charming smile, holding both hands up to greet the crowd and pausing for the screams to subside before he thanked them all for coming to the Stark Expo once again and spoke about working together towards a sustainable future.

She tuned out the crowd around her as she watched him address his audience in a seemingly effortless manner, idly thinking on the fact that although she'd him like his many times on television of course, she'd surprisingly never seen him engage a crowd like this live in all the years they'd worked together and she couldn't help mentally acknowledging that he was truly majestic like this in person, as evidenced by the many swooning people surrounding her.

He mentioned nothing of the Avengers, the rumored to be newly revised Accords, or anything of the sort, but then again she hadn't really expected him to. More fireworks sounded off and he was gone when the smoke started to subside. A video clip of his father welcoming attendees to the very first Stark Expo started to play on an obscenely large screen and the crowd grew still land silent, but before she could even stop herself, she was moving towards the stage.

XXXXX

"Mr. Stark, a really attractive redhead is in the hall asking to see you," a stagehand said.

Tony sighed, turning away to wipe at his eyes under his glasses with a handkerchief . "I'll bet there is. Please apologize for me and let them know that I won't be receiving any guests backstage at this time."

"She says her name is Natasha Romanoff, sir," the kid added nervously.

He froze for a second, then readjusted his glasses and turned back around. "Alright. Send her back here," he said.

She appeared a moment later, escorted through the barrier of armed guards by two large men in black suits. He rolled his eyes, thinking how unnecessary the setup was, but Happy had insisted.

"Tony," she greeted him with a nod, pulling down the hood of her jacket once she was standing in front of him."

"Natasha," he acknowledged, leaning over to kiss her cheek. He nodded to his assistant and the man ushered everyone out of the room.

It was quiet for a moment as they regarded each other silently, and it was borderlining on the side of awkward before she spoke.

"I just happened to be in the area," she said. "Figured I'd stop by and say hi….. see how you were doing."

He gazed at her over the top rim of his glasses. "You mean you wanted to see if I would let you back here after the last time we saw each other."

Her eyes flickered with emotion for just a second before she recovered and she gazed back at him cautiously.

"Relax, you're a welcome sight." He breathed audibly. "So, I'm trying this new thing where I don't hold a grudge against everyone I've ever met before and anyway, my beef wasn't with you to start with. We're cool," he said.

She nodded. "Tony, I…."

He held up his hand to stop her. "There's no need to discuss it right now." He thought for a moment. "What are you up to today? Do you have time to have an early dinner with an old friend?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling slowly. "Yeah, I definitely have time for that."

His expression softened as he grinned at her and he pulled his glasses off, folding them into the collar of his shirt. "Alright. Let me just tell them to bring the car around," he said, typing something quickly into his phone.

XXXXX

The place he had his driver take them to was elegant, yet discreet in an unassuming part of town. The lighting was soft and they were sitting in a booth in the back corner, sipping wine as they dined. He told her about his upcoming plans and let her in on a secret announcement that he was to make later on in the week at the Expo, that he'd be rebuilding the Stark Tower and hiring locally for the project.

"Do you really think now is the best time to host the Expo, with everything that's been going on….?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I have to keep up appearances, right?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "I heard there's going to be a revision to the Accords."

"I don't know too much about that yet. Not that I can share anyway," he said.

She frowned. "Maybe this was a bad idea. It's probably not wise for you to be seen with me."

"I'm not worried about that. But yes, I suppose you should keep laying low for now."

She smiled. "You know me."

He studied her carefully as if he wasn't sure.

"It's getting late, right? How long are you in town for? Maybe we can have lunch one day before you leave."

"I'm here til the end of the week. And any meal with you is always a pleasure, my dear." He paid the bill and rose up from the table, grabbing her jacket from the coat hook and handing it to her. "Can I have my limo drop you off somewhere? My hotel is pretty close, but I'll drive you anywhere," he said.

Her eyebrows wrinkled. "Hotel?"

"Well, I can't exactly stay at the compound while I'm here, can I?" He asked with a slightly amused expression.

She bit her lip, considering something. "No, I guess not," she said. "But still, maybe you shouldn't be alone right now."

His eyes met hers with a question in them.

She breathed in slowly. "Look, I know whatever presidential suite your hotel has put you up in is probably way more extravagant… but you can stay at my place, if you want. You know, if you don't want to be alone."

His hand went to his goatee as he considered her suggestion in disbelief. "Okay," he said after awhile.

"Great," she said as if she didn't believe it either.

"Let me just swing on over to the hotel and get my luggage and cancel the reservation." He smiled and winked. "I promise, I'll be a good house guest."

She smiled back, silently hoping she wouldn't regret the invitation. "I'll text you the address," she said.

XXXXX

She glanced at the clock on the cable box, wondering how much time she had until he arrived and carefully running her eyes over every surface of the apartment, looking for anything embarrassing that she'd have to hurry to put away, but then again she'd never really been the dishes left in the sink type and she always kept her space in pristine cleanliness condition.

She was debating whether or not to regret her decision, wondering if this would be enough to placate him for a week and what the annoying consequences would be to her if it wasn't as she quickly changed the sheets in her bedroom, finishing just in time to answer the knock at the front door.

"Honey, I'm home," he joked, swinging the suitcase at his side.

She flashed him a welcoming smile, inviting him into her space. "I'd give you the grand tour, but this is basically it," she said, watching him. "Come on. You can leave your things in the bedroom."

He took in their surroundings with genuine interest.

"Feel free to help yourself to whatever while you're here," she said softly as she watched him move his eyes over the space.

"I really appreciate this," He said warmly, pulling a blanket out of his suitcase and setting it up on the couch.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

He looked up at her. "Getting ready for bed. I'm a little tired. It's kind of been a long day."

She frowned. "You're a guest in my house. You're not sleeping on the couch." She nodded her head, picking up his suitcase and gesturing for him to follow her down the hall.

"You can sleep on my bed," she said, flicking on the lightswitch in her room and setting his luggage on the floor.

"Well, where are you going to sleep?" He wondered.

She shrugged. "The couch, I guess."

"I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch in your own house," he said firmly. "Does it pull out? I'm sure it's fine."

She shook her head. "It doesn't and it's too small for you to be comfortable. Don't be ridiculous."

He gazed at the bed thoughtfully. "What is it, full size?"

"It's queen."

"Perfect. It's big enough for the both of us."

She gazed at him in alarm and he laughed as she quickly tried to mask the horrified expression on her face. "I said don't be ridiculous," she said firmly.

"Relax, I'm not going to try anything. I already told you, I'm going to be a good house guest. We're adults, remember? We can share."

"Well, one of us is," she said cautiously.

He laughed again and she laughed too.

"You'll be on your best behavior?" She asked.

"Scouts honor," he promised.

She put her hands on her hips. "You were never a boy scout, Stark."

He grinned.

"Okay," she said finally. "Bathroom's connected through that door. I'll change first." She grabbed a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt from a drawer.

He was looking around the room when she turned around to face him and she followed his eyes as he took in the pastel purple walls, dark purple sheets and light purple comforter with yellow flowers.

She grinned at the slightly surprised expression on his face. "What were you expecting, a black cave?"

He shrugged. "Is purple your favorite color?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it before, but yeah, I guess."

He nodded. "I'll have to remember that the next time I make an upgrade to our suits…." He trailed off as he caught himself and she gazed at him with a sympathetic expression.

"We'll get there again, eventually," she said softly.

"Yeah," he said. He turned back to her with a twinkle in his eye. "Bet you I can change out here faster than you can change in there."

She ran into the bathroom and quickly undressed, pulling on her pajamas in record time, even for her. By the time she opened the door, he was already in gray pants and a black tank, pulling back the covers and she plopped down on the bed before he could.

"Cheater," he complained with a humph and she stuck out her tongue at him playfully as she pressed the button on the lamp next to her on the nightstand to turn off the lights.

He sat down on the bed beside her, swinging his legs under the covers and she rolled over onto her side, turning her back to him, then wondering idly if that was a good idea.

After awhile she felt him stirring and she turned around to face him.

He pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the side and the soft glow from his arc reactor illuminated her face as she frowned.

"What are you doing?" she said, firmly but quietly.

"Sometimes it gets too hot with the reactor if I stay still for long periods of time," he explained. "I promise, I'm not trying anything, but I'll get dressed if it makes you uncomfortable."

She shook her head after awhile. "No. No, it's fine."

He grinned. "Don't worry, my pants are still on."

"They better be, if you want everything under them to stay intact," she warned as she rolled over once again. She scooted closer to the edge of the bed, waiting stiffly for his breathing to even out before she even dared to turn around and get into a more comfortable position.

After awhile he was snoring softly and she moved her head to study him carefully. He'd pulled the blanket up to his shoulders to muffle the light from the arc reactor, but it was still enough that she could see his face, his features softened in his sleep. His long eyelashes touched his cheek as his head lay on the pillow, with one hand propping it up and the other still holding onto the blanket. His mouth was slightly open and he was out cold, his face untroubled and making him look years younger.

She was mildly surprised and slightly envious that he could just fall asleep like that in an unfamiliar space, and she thought to herself that this was the least threatening she'd ever seen him and against her better judgement, she watched him until she felt her own eyelids start to grow heavy.


	2. Chapter 2

She was already showered and dressed by the time he woke up the next morning, stretching his arms widely as he sat up.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," She said with a grin. "How'd you sleep?"

"Wonderfully," He answered with a lazy smile. "Your mattress is extremely comfortable."

She smiled back.

"Can I take you to breakfast this morning?" He asked once he was awake enough to stand and start moving.

"We can just eat breakfast here," she said with a shrug. "I'll start making it."

"I can help," he insisted.

She raised an eyebrow. "You? Cook?"

"I'll have you know, I make a mean scrambled eggs and toast," he said defensively.

"Okay, let's go," she said, leading him to the kitchen. She opened the cabinets to show him where everything was and they pulled out all the dishes and ingredients together, rushing to finish their portion of the project first.

She laughed appreciatively at his competitive spirit, and he was smiling a genuine smile, wide enough to show his sparkling teeth and charming dimples. He was very relaxed as he made himself comfortable in her space, beating the eggs with an electric mixer while she poured milk into a pan and she had to admit to herself that she wasn't expecting him to make this easy for her, although she was grateful that he had.

Minutes later, their eggs were ready and she piled some fruit onto their plates while he grabbed the toast out of the toaster.

"Were you planning on going to the Expo every day while you're here?" She asked.

"Nah. I do have meetings scheduled throughout the week though and press all day today, so unfortunately it's more business than pleasure this time."

She nodded.

He nibbled carefully at his toast, calculating her as she spooned her fruit into her mouth. "Have you heard from him?" He asked quietly after awhile.

She shook her head. "No. Actually, the only people I've talked to recently besides you are Sam and Clint."

"And how are they doing?" He asked stiffly.

She shrugged. "Clint's on house arrest, but honestly I think all that time with his family will turn out to be good for him. Sam is Sam." She swallowed thickly. "How's Rhodey?"

"He's walking with a walker now. The doctors swore that the paralysis would be permanent, but you know Rhodey. He's tough." He nodded. "I really think he'll be okay."

"I'm so glad," she told him seriously.

They were quiet for a moment before she moved to clear the table. "I'll wash, you dry?" She asked, hoping he'd challenge her to make quick work of that task too.

"What for? You have a dishwasher," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's broken. There's a guy coming on Tuesday, but for now it looks like it's manual labor until then."

"Guy?" He frowned. "What guy? You don't need a guy. You have me. What's wrong with it?"

He was already opening it up and sticking his head inside despite her protests.

"No, you really don't have to," she insisted.

"Do you have a wrench?" He asked, ignoring her as he got down on the floor and disappeared up to his shoulders.

She sighed, moving to a closet to get him a toolbox and handing him the wrench.

He looked at her outstretched hand, gesturing with his head and his eyes for her to leave it.

"Sorry, I forgot," she said, setting it carefully down on the floor next to him.

In only took a few minutes before he was wiping his hands on a dish rag and flipping the switch and her dishwater sprang to life as if it had never been broken at all.

"You can thank me later," he said with a wink.

She smiled. "Maybe I'll buy you dinner this time."

"I'm going on a late night talk show, if you can believe it," he said. "You can come if you want, but it'll probably be boring for you."

"Yeah," she said, wrinkling her nose. She thought for a moment, then ran into the living room to grab her purse off the coffee table and produced a small silver key.

"What's this? A key to the Widow's Den?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm honored. Truly."

"You have to give it back at the end of the week," she said sternly. "But, I guess if you're going to be coming and going…"

"Thanks," he said, flashing her one of his signature smiles.

XXXXX

Despite her assurances that she didn't want to join him at the studio, she ended up watching him on tv that night anyway, curled up in bed with the remote in her hand. The host was giving off a jerk persona as usual, but Tony took it in stride, laughing at all the right intervals and smiling his wide, charming public smile. Even through all the tongue in cheek jokes and cheesy banter, he managed to get in everything he wanted to say about the Expo and she once again marveled at the seemingly easy way he spun everything to his advantage.

The show ended and she glanced at the time on the digital clock on her nightstand, reaching up to turn on the knob on the air conditioner, even though it was a chilly late October night. She switched the channel to something even more mindless and wrapped the blankets tightly around herself as she shivered slightly. She left the air conditioner on for about thirty minutes before she turned it off and tried to settle down for bed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep until he'd returned and all her doors were locked.

About ten minutes into her constantly checking the time on the digital display she heard the front door open, even though the bedroom door was closed and she tensed. She breathed in relief when she heard the click of the deadbolt and seconds later the bedroom door swung open slowly.

"Nat?" He whispered.

"I'm awake," she whispered back.

"Okay," he said softly. "I didn't want to startle you."

He rummaged in his suitcase for his pajama pants and she turned around so he could have some privacy while he changed, even though he didn't request it. "How was it?" She asked casually.

He shrugged out of his jacket and designer sweater and pulled on his pajama pants. "It was as uneventful as I told you it would be," he said as he moved to climb into bed beside her. "Why, did you miss me?"

"Not even a little," she said teasingly, rolling over to face him.

He sighed happily as he slipped between the sheets, reveling in the sensation of the cool fabric against his bare skin. "I think I love you," he murmured, a soft smile on his face as he settled onto his back and closed his eyes.

She smiled. "Where else would you get this type of personalized service?"

"Nowhere," he agreed. He reached for her hand, raised it to his lips and softly kissed her knuckles. "Thank you," he whispered.

She bristled in surprise. "You're welcome," she whispered back. She once again waited until he fell asleep before she even considered closing her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

He was gone when she awoke the next morning, the sheets still warm on his side of the bed even though she'd turned on the AC again to cool them for him. She sat up and stretched her arms and her back, reaching for her phone as she got out of bed and finding one unread text: "2 nights in a row of the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life. You rock. See you later. X"

A smile spread across her face and she shook her head as she dressed for the day. Her secure line buzzed and she frowned as she read the new intel that had passed through to her device, followed by a request for a secret meeting in an obnoxiously crowded place. It looked like she would be attending the Stark Expo that day as well.

XXXXX

She was walking alone through the pavilions the next time she felt her phone vibrate and she took it out of her pocket, her face brightening when she saw who it was. "Tony!" She said happily.

"What are you doing right now?" He asked.

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm actually at your Expo. Why?"

"Can you make it to Manhattan in a half hour? I'm on The View soon and I'm bored out of my mind. Pick me up?"

"Uhm, don't you have your limo?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I'd rather call in that meal you owe me. Come on. I could really use a cheeseburger right now."

"So this is 'pick me up and buy me Burger King?' I thought you said you were going to be a low maintenance house guest," she teased.

He sighed audibly.

"Okay," she said finally. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Say hi to Meredith for me."

She could practically see his smile through the phone. "You're the best. Thanks, N-Ro."

"Ugh, don't ever call me that again," she warned.

He paused. "What are you doing at the Expo?"

XXXXX

She parked her car on the street near the stage door of the big ABC building in Columbus Circle as he'd instructed, reaching for her phone and searching for the text he'd sent her with what to say to security to get her clearance.

A desk clerk paged a guard once she'd given her name and the guard escorted her up two escalators to the studio where the show was taped live.

The segment was still airing when she arrived and she watched him through the glass, his charming public persona oozing through his perfectly choreographed smile. He was wearing his oversized glasses again, but she could sort of see his eyes crinkling merrily through the lenses as he sat on the couch between the four women, who were clearly eating up everything he said with dazzled smiles on their faces.

The live audience applauded wildly when the interview ended and he rose up, a team of security guards rushing forward as the mostly female fans charged.

He looked up and smiled in relief when he saw her, winking at her through the glass as he paused to sign a few autographs and grin brightly for some selfies.

By the time the guards were escorting him out of the studio, the women were mostly grabbing for him, actively trying to touch him and he chuckled good-naturedly. "Ladies, please. I already know who I'm going home with tonight," he said as security ushered him through the glass door.

He wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders and waved as the guards herded the audience down the stairs to exit the building.

He breathed a sigh of relief once they disappeared and a big man in dark glasses and a dark suit pointed out a hidden hallway for them to exit.

She glanced at his arm, which was still draped around her, but she didn't say anything. He casually put his hands in his pockets after a moment.

"I don't know how you do it," she said finally.

He shrugged. "People see what they want to see. I just play the part. You should know something about that."

"Tony…"

"I already told you, we're fine," he said gently.

She nodded. "I guess I understand. I've just never seen you do it up close before."

"You mean you never paid attention to the difference before."

She was silent as the guard led them to the back door and the crowd outside erupted into cheers when they stepped out onto the sidewalk. He shook hands and slapped high fives on the way to her car and a man with a whistle cleared the area for them to get away.

"Where's the closest drive through?" he asked once she pulled out of the parking spot and sped down the street.

"There's one near my apartment. But seriously. I'm willing to take you anywhere to get lunch. You really want all that grease?"

He shrugged. "It's my one fast food weakness, I promise. What's yours?"

"I'm not overly fond of fast food, but I do have a soft spot for Chinese takeout," she told him.

"Really?" He said with a surprised grin.

She nodded. "It's something I picked up from Clint. All those late nights when we were on missions together."

"Well, then I'll get you some takeout tomorrow. As a thank you for being my escape car."

"Deal," she said as she pulled into the drive through.

XXXXX

It was after dark when they got back to Natasha's apartment. They'd ended up spending the whole day together after lunch, walking around the park and driving around as she showed him where things were in her neighborhood.

He admitted that he was ready for bed, claiming that doing press always tired him out and she assured him that she could see why.

She sat up in bed reading a book while he showered, but by the time she heard the water turn off, she thought that she could probably turn in too.

He was careful not to disturb her as he slid between the sheets, groaning as he lowered himself into the mattress.

"What's the matter?" She asked with a frown.

"It's nothing," he said. "Just my back is sore."

She set her book on the nightstand and gestured for him to sit up. "Come here," she said, placing her hands on his bare back when he obediently scooted closer to her.

"Brace yourself," she said softly. "But trust me. And don't move."

Her hands pressed sharply into a pressure point and he howled in pain. "Relax," she said gently into his ear. "Just breathe. Don't move," she warned again.

He took a few deep breaths as she instructed and the pain quickly subsided.

"Okay, you can move however you want now." She slowly massaged his upper back, working his muscles firmly with her hands and he closed his eyes, lowering his head enough to let her have access to the back of his neck.

"Shit, that feels good," he murmured quietly.

She smiled as she moved the heels of her hands down his back, his tense muscles loosening. "I told you to trust me," she whispered.

"Mmmmmm," he said. "I'll never misjudge you ever again. Is there anything you're not good at?"

She pretended to think it over as she continued to rub her hands soothingly over his warm skin. "Nope," she said.

"I don't doubt that," he said suggestively and she was glad that he couldn't see her face at that moment.

He slowly sank down into the mattress, and she moved to follow him as he lounged on his stomach and pressed his face into the pillow. "Can you do my shoulders?" He asked.

"Sure," she said softly, watching as he folded his arms over the pillows and under his face and closed his eyes again.

"Don't stop," he murmured softly and she knew that he was starting to drift off.

She didn't stop massaging him until she could feel his breathing even out and his muscles go slack as sleep took over.


	4. Chapter 4

Natasha was curled up on the couch, working from her phone when she heard a clattering sound coming from the laundry room attached to the kitchen.

Groaning out loud, she set her phone on the small coffee table and made her way through the kitchen, peering through the open door. "Now what are you doing?" She asked, arms crossed over her chest.

He was on his knees behind the dryer, looking up at her with only mild surprise. "Just working on your dryer," he said with a shrug. He stood up, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Tony, so far you've fixed the dishwasher, the refrigerator, the tv remote and now this? What, is the toaster taking voice commands now?"

"Do you want it to?"

She smiled a tight lipped smile. "There's nothing wrong with the dryer," she insisted. "What is this? Are you bored? Cause you know, you're a billionaire in New York City. I'm sure you can come up with another way to entertain yourself."

He looked at her without saying anything and she took a step closer, watching him carefully.

"Tony," she said more gently as it dawned on her. "You don't owe me anything. We're friends. I'm happy to have you here."

He kept moving the rag over his fingers even though his hands were already clean.

"I could use a break from work," she said softly. "Why don't you come hang out with me?"

"Hang out?" He asked, uncertainly.

"Yeah," she replied.

He thought for a moment. "I do still owe you Chinese food. Want to order in?"

"Sure," she said with a brighter smile. She turned to walk back through the kitchen and he followed her. "But we have to go get it. I never have anything delivered here."

He nodded in understanding. "I can call the car."

"No," she said, grabbing for a jacket. "It's not that far. We can walk."

"Okay," he agreed, buttoning up his own coat as he trailed her outside. He held out his arm once she'd locked the door with her key and she linked her elbow through his.

She held on tightly to him as they strolled silently through her neighborhood, the air crisp with a late October breeze and gently falling leaves.

"This is nice," he commented, a small smile playing at his lips. "We don't really get an autumn like this in California."

She grinned. "It's my favorite season. Every time it comes around, I am very grateful that I spend most of my non-working time here."

They arrived to the tiny restaurant in no time and Tony urged her to order two of whatever she wanted before he pulled out his credit card to pay the bill.

The girl behind the counter gazed at him with wide eyes as she passed a large brown paper bag over the counter and he flashed her a dazzling smile while Natasha took the food from her.

She rolled her eyes once they were back outside. "Is there anyone on this planet who isn't in awe of you?" She asked.

"Yeah. You," he said with a laugh, pausing to take the bag from her, shifting it under one arm so he could offer his other arm to her again.

She laughed too, easing her arm through his and they walked the rest of the way back to her apartment in comfortable silence.

It was too chilly to eat outside, so Natasha suggested that they bring it into the living room and eat in front of the tv.

He gazed at her questioningly as she clicked on the remote, spreading their food across the coffee table and crossing her legs on the floor. "What?" She asked, looking up at him. "You've never eaten on the floor before?"

He shrugged. "Only in my workshop. I wouldn't have expected you to make a practice of it, though."

"Get down here and make yourself comfortable," she urged, holding up an eggroll.

He bit on the end of it right out of her hand, grabbing for a napkin to wipe the flakes off his lips and she laughed.

She spooned some noodles into her mouth, scarfing down her portion quickly as he watched her with an amused expression on his face.

"You do this often?" He asked.

"As often as I can," she answered with her mouth half-full.

"How do you stay so hot?" He said, his eyes widening after he realized that he'd said it out loud.

She shrugged. "Burgers from fast food joints are your weakness, this is mine. Besides, we live an active lifestyle. I'm not worried." She set her food down, gazing at him with a coy smile. "Do you really think I'm hot?"

He smiled, wide enough to show his teeth. "Oh, hell yeah," he said, playing along.

"Like, how hot are we talking?" She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

He swallowed some rice as he thought for a moment. "Super-model level hot."

She frowned. "Heidi or Gisele?"

He shook his head. "You're way hotter than the both of them combined," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah?" She said with a grin.

"Hell yeah. If you were on the cover of any magazines when I was in high school, none of this would've ever happened because I wouldn't have been able to get anything done."

"Ew. That's gross," she said, tossing a balled up napkin at him.

He caught it easily with a self-satisfied chuckle.

"I suppose you're not unattractive when you smile for real like that," she said after awhile. She scooted up to the couch while he made a move to clear the table of their garbage.

"So how not unattractive am I?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. You were on the cover of magazines when I was in school and I managed to get things done just fine," she said teasingly.

He rolled his eyes dramatically in a signature Tony move as he brought the stuff into the kitchen.

She was curled up on the couch with her phone again, her back against an arm and he sat down against the other arm, pulling out his tablet.

She grabbed the remote to click through the channels, stopping on the evening news.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Working," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"Working. That's not what I meant."

She looked up at him quizzically.

He nodded to the television. "Why are you watching the news when you get way more information than that sent to your phone?"

She shrugged. "It's just background noise. I guess it's another habit I picked up from Clint. He always has the tv on. Can't sleep without it when he's not at home, actually."

He leaned back against the couch.

She paused, picking up the remote and handing it to him. "You can change it if you want. What, are you more of a late night sitcom kind of guy?"

He gazed at the object in her hand without saying anything.

She sighed, setting it down on the table in front of him and he at least had the decency to wait a minute before he picked it up.

"Can I ask you something personal?" She said after awhile.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, stopping on a movie. "I guess so," he said cautiously.

"Why don't you accept things that are handed to you?"

He sighed, turning to face her. "People… expect things from you when they hand you things," he said quietly. "They want you to do something, react a certain way."

"And people already expect a lot of things from you," she added softly.

"My whole life," he said with an expression on his face that she couldn't quite recognize.

She had to stop herself from reaching for his hand.

"I never told anyone that," he said, more to himself than to her. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees.

He was quiet for awhile and she wondered if she should apologize for pushing him, but then he broke the silence. "Can I ask you something personal?" He said in a low voice.

She nodded wordlessly and he turned back to look at her, nodding at the phone that was still in her hands.

"Are you working for him?"

"No," she said, her voice equally as low. "I meant it when I said I haven't been in contact with him."

"But you're in contact with Sam," he pointed out.

She nodded again.

"So, you're in contact with Rogers," he said.

"It's not the same," she said, her voice still quiet.

"No, I suppose it's not."

They were both quiet for a long while after that again and she chewed on her bottom lip as she considered. "I'm working for Fury," she offered decisively after a few moments.

He looked up, surprised that she had spoken and that she had told him the truth. He stood, moving down the hall to her bedroom without a word and she turned back to her phone, carefully taking in the long text that had just come through.

She was genuinely surprised when he returned a moment later, holding out a small black device.

She raised an eyebrow, asking him an unspoken question.

"You can contact Rogers with this," he said simply.

She nodded. "Is that the phone he sent you?"

"Yeah."

"So… you want me to use that to contact him… so he'll know I'm with you?" She asked suspiciously.

"Are you 'with me?'" He shot back.

"Tony…" She gestured for him to sit and he took his place across from her on the couch.

"You're working for Fury," he said. "Doing what? Keeping tabs on everyone? Telling him how Clint's on house arrest? That you still can't find Rogers, filling him in on everything you hear from Sam?"

She nodded again.

He pressed his lips together before speaking again. "You tell him stuff about me?"

She shook her head. "Yes, but it isn't like that."

"Is that why you invited me here?"

"No." She leaned over and this time she really did take his hand in hers. "I invited you here because you're my friend, and I care about you. And God, I missed you."

He looked into her eyes, finding them clear and vulnerable at her confession and his expression softened slightly.

"I didn't mean to betray you, Tony," she said quietly.

He sighed. "I know that. I know. And honestly, he was going to leave whether you stepped aside or not. Actually, I'm not entirely sure that I wouldn't have done the same thing," he admitted.

Her eyes widened.

"I've told you, we're fine, Natasha," he said, squeezing her hand.

She looked at their conjoined hands. "We're rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.," she said.

He looked up, meeting her gaze.

"There's still a lot of agents that are loyal to us, and with the Avengers disassembled and the Accords a mess…." She held his gaze. "Come with us, Tony."

"I don't know if I can do that," he said.

"Then talk to Fury. See what we're doing and decide for yourself."

"Maybe," he said softly after awhile. He regarded her with a smirk. "Director Stark does have a nice ring to it. That position available?"

"Only if you play your cards right," she told him, rising up from the couch and letting go of his hand. "Come on, now. It's getting late. We should get to bed."


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you have a fancy dress in that Widow's closet of yours?" He asked suddenly while she was putting the breakfast dishes away.

She looked at him questioningly. "Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"

He grinned, his head cocked to the side. "Want to come to a party with me tonight?"

"What kind of a party?" She asked.

He shrugged. "A formal one. Fancy dinner, guys in suits, lots of alcohol….. "

She thought for a moment, mentally going through her day. "Okay," she said after awhile. "I could go for a party."

"Excellent. I 'll be in and out of meetings all day, but I'll pick you up in my limo at seven?"

"Sure," she said, silently hoping that she wouldn't regret it.

XXXXX

She decided to leave her hair loose, curling the ends with a curling iron and slipping into a sleek, black dress with silver glittering all over. Once she heard the front door open and Tony calling for her she realized that she was actually eager for a night out on the town.

She breezed into the living room, almost stopping in her tracks when she saw him in his designer suit. It was gray with navy pinstripes, custom tailored and hugging his waistline in a way that would've made anyone else's knees go weak, his dark brown hair perfectly gelled to get his signature unruly-on-purpose look, his eyes smiling brightly at her from behind his big thick glasses.

"Damn, Stark," she breathed.

"Damn yourself," he answered, his eyes sweeping over her attire.

"Zip me up?" She asked, whirling around to put her back to him and sweeping her curls away from her neck with her hand.

"I think I'd much rather zip it down," he muttered under his breath as he obliged.

She grinned, slipping her arm through the one he'd offered her as he escorted her outside to the limo parked in front of her apartment.

She gazed out the window as they drove, her eyebrows raising as they pulled up in front of an elite and well-known nightclub in the heart of the city.

They rode the elevator up to the top floor with groups of other well dressed people and she held onto him as he led her into the room.

A live band was playing on the stage and the lights were dim. She immediately saw two separate bars along the outer walls of the room and he ushered her up some stairs into a private V.I.P. area.

"This is us," he said, nodding to a box with plush sofas and their own private bar area.

She assessed the security standing near the door, a burly man in a black button down who didn't even blink as Tony took her inside.

"I'm impressed," she said, her excitement shining through her genuine smile.

"You should hang with me more often," he said, his eyes glittering as he looked at her over the rim of his glasses.

"What do they have to drink in this place?" She asked and he signaled the bartender, assuring her that she could order anything she wanted.

"Come on, let's mingle," he said once they'd each had a drink.

By now, people were entering the room in heaps and there were even pairs heading to the dance floor in front of the stage.

Her eyes swept over the crowd and her smile froze on her face when she felt someone looking at them. "Isn't that one of Ross's men?" She asked without moving her lips.

"Get cozy with me," He murmured.

She turned into him, resting an elbow on his shoulder and softly stroking the hair at the back of his head with one hand, the other rising up to touch him lightly on his chest as she ducked her forehead into his face, dipping her nose into his jaw.

"What, is that a reflex for you?" He wondered incredulously and she stepped on his foot.

"You are correct," he told her. "That's the assistant to the secretary, and I'm meeting him here about the Accords."

"Tony, I can't be seen with these people here, remember?" she hissed into his ear. "They'll take me away!"

"Nobody is taking you anywhere," he assured her. "I made a deal with the secretary on your behalf. You already signed the Accords. It'll be fine."

Her eyes widened. "When?" She whispered. "What kind of deal?"

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It was after you left. Rhodey and I convinced him that T'Challa was mistaken. It'll be okay. But you might want to stay close and cozy."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"It will help your case if it looks like you're close to me," he explained.

"Oh, I don't have enough alcohol in me for this," she groaned.

He gestured to the three different bars within eyesight. "We can easily fix that," he said jovially, wrapping an arm around her waist, his hand lightly squeezing her hip.

She pressed her lips together. "Fine. But hands where I can see them at all times, Stark," she warned.

He nodded to someone he recognized and waved slightly with a smug smile.

"I am so going to wipe that smirk off your face," she said.

He laughed, nudging her slightly to urge her forward and she pressed her lips to the soft spot on his neck below his earlobe, kissing him long enough to feel his pulse flutter as he swallowed thickly.

"Slow down, Tiger," he said quietly. "We still have to sleep together later."

She smiled demurely as he led her over to talk to some people.

The conversation was mostly boring and she excused herself to head over to the bar and order another drink. He slipped his credit card into her hand and she brightened, mentally wondering how much she'd have to drink tonight to make the payback to his account worth it and then deciding that the consequences would likely be much worse for her than for him anyway so she just ordered her usual, one at a time.

She felt his hand at the small of her back. "I'm going to go over to the assistant's box to have a private chat," he said. "See what you can find out?"

She nodded, gazing at him intensely to let him know that she was armed and would be keeping an eye on him and he grinned, raising his hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles in appreciation before heading across the room.

She scanned her surroundings, taking in the crowd on the dance floor and the smaller groups standing around talking and laughing and not finding anything out of the ordinary. Out of habit, she took note of the windows and exits and found any distinctive architecture that she'd be able to use to her advantage if need be.

A young, good-looking guy in a dark suit came over to the bar to talk to her and she smiled politely, gazing over his shoulder at Tony the whole time.

Cameras flashed and people scrambled to get his attention as he passed, but true to his word, he made it to the assistant's V.I.P. box and she took in his relaxed body language as they engaged, her own shoulders relaxing slightly at his easy posture, open smile and drink in hand.

It only took a couple of general questions before she found out that her own companion was a journalist who would be covering the revision of the Accords and she grinned flirtatiously at him and asked him if he would buy her another drink. He eagerly obliged, with wide almost disbelieving eyes and she groaned inwardly, thinking that this was going to be a long night.

Finally, Tony was coming up behind her, wrapping a loose arm around her shoulders and she sidled up to him.

"My apologies, Mr. Stark," the young man said, floundering. "I didn't realize she was with you."

He politely excused himself and Natasha laughed, leaning her head close to Tony's. " They're revising the Accords on U.S. soil, right here in Washington," she told him in an almost bored tone.

He smiled satisfactorily. "My business is done. I'm all yours for the rest of the night," he said, taking her hand and leading her away from the bar. "Do you want to go up to our private lounge?"

"And do what?" She teased, backing him up into a wall.

"I thought you were planning on getting drunk tonight. It's fine. I'll keep an eye on you. Although it looks like you've been doing okay so far," he said, holding her steady as she stumbled slightly on her heels.

"Hands where I can see them," she reminded him, idly running her fingers through his hair, as she leaned against him.

"You're pushing me," he said. "You want me to try something, don't you?"

"And what exactly do you think that is?" She said with a dismissive laugh.

He shrugged, brushing her hair away from her shoulders with his hand. "I don't know. What do you want me to do?" He asked in a low voice, tightening his hold on her.

She tilted her head back to look up at him, her eyes wide. "Dance with me," she said suddenly.

"What?"

"Dance with me," she repeated, reaching for his hand.

"Alright," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the middle of the dance floor. "But I want to dance with you, not your character," he added.

She nodded, squeezing his hand as the cameras flashed around them.

He stopped once they were safely in the middle of the crowd, placing a steady hand on her waist and holding their clapsed hands up to his chest.

She stepped closer to him, curling her hand around his shoulder and letting him take the lead. "It's easy to forget sometimes, that you're you," she murmured thoughtfully. "I guess I'm not used to constantly being reminded of that."

"Huh," he said, extending his arm to twirl her under it. "That's funny. I've never been able to forget who I am."

She turned into him, grasping his shoulder again.

"Except maybe when I'm at your apartment," he added quietly.

The music from the live band wafted over the crowd and they swayed slowly to the beat.

After awhile, she stepped even closer, resting her head against his chest as they danced, her arms encircling his neck, and he tightened his arms around her waist. "Is someone watching us?" he asked.

"No," she whispered, not moving from his embrace.

"Oh," he said. He leaned his head down, resting his cheek against her forehead and she closed her eyes as they swayed.

XXXXX

Once they got back to her apartment, she changed quickly into her pajama pants and t-shirt, curling up on the couch in front of the tv.

She felt him sit down next to her, but she didn't say anything.

He clicked through the channels, finding the news station that she liked and setting the remote down on the table, waiting for her to speak, but she kept quiet.

She wondered how long it would take him to break the silence, knowing full well that she would outlast him, but she felt her eyelids start to droop before he said anything.

She was a million miles away when she felt a pair of strong arms around her and she mumbled something in protest.

"You're falling asleep, sweetheart," He said gently. "Let's get you into bed."

She stubbornly stood her ground, making a half-hearted attempt to push him away.

"Come on," he murmured, lifting her up into the air. "Your hangover will be much worse tomorrow if your body's sore from staying out here."

She still didn't say anything, but she did curl into him as he carried her down the hall to her bedroom, setting her gently down on the mattress.


	6. Chapter 6

When Natasha got back to her apartment in the late afternoon, she found Tony sprawled across the couch with white takeout cartons taking up every available surface in her living room.

She arched an eyebrow at him, an amused smile quirking at her lips before she even had a chance to ask the question.

"It's a peace offering," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I should have told you what last night really was."

"I would've been much better prepared to help you," she pointed out. She craned her neck, gesturing to the takeout cartons.

He sighed. "I forgot what you ordered the other day. So I just got everything on the menu."

She snorted, crouching down on the couch and picking a carton up off the floor. "Well, I hope you're sticking around to help me eat all of this," she said.

His shoulders relaxed visibly and he poked at a container of fried rice.

"So," she said in between stuffing her face with bits of pork. "Are you going to D.C.?"

"I don't see how I can not go" he said. "Are you?"

She shrugged. "Do you want me to?"

"Would you come if I said yes?"

She nodded slowly.

He set his food down on the table. "Nat," he started carefully. "There's something I have to tell you."

She looked up at him from her perch against the arm of the couch, casting her food aside to give him her full attention.

He paused, breathing in deeply before starting. "I know what the revision to the Accords are about."

"Oh?" She said, gazing at him cautiously.

"The revision will allow me…. certain liberties."

Her eyes grew wide as she waited for him to continue.

"In the absence of a government official… should the situation warrant it, I can call the Avengers in."

She flew across the couch, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.

He braced himself against the back of the couch, his surprise evident as he was thrown off balance and he carefully placed his hands on her waist to steady her, clearly caught off guard by the fact that she was now practically in his lap.

"I knew you would tell me the truth," she said quietly.

"You've known the whole time," he realized slowly.

She eased off of him, letting him catch his breath as he took in the new information.

"Fury?" He asked, and she nodded. "You've been testing me," he said.

She shrugged. "You've been testing me," she pointed out.

He nodded once, still thinking things over. "So you've known all along that I'll have more power. Does that make you nervous?"

"No."

"I see," he said carefully. "And if I called you in, would you come?"

"Yes," she said evenly, keeping her gaze steady on his.

He placed a hand to his chin, his fingers slowly moving through his beard as he considered her. "And if…. if he called you in. Would you go?"

She nodded, her gaze unwavering.

He breathed in audibly.

"I'm an Avenger, first and foremost," she explained. "You know that."

"All this S.H.I.E.L.D. business you're involved in," he started, gesturing with his hand. "All this stuff with the Accords. If Rogers calls you, and you go to him….. I can't know about it."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"If we're going to be working together again anytime in the near future…. you can't give me a reason to arrest you."

She swallowed hard. "It's not just about me choosing between you and Steve, Tony."

"No." He shook his head. "This is bigger than us now. I don't need a reason to not be able to trust you. And you can't compromise my position. I won't let you."

She nodded her understanding, unable to speak directly to his determined gaze.

"So do we have a truce?" He asked, holding out his hand.

She stared at him for a long moment. "You'll put the purple in my suit?" She finally asked after awhile.

His face broke out into a warm, relieved smile. "I'll put the purple in your suit," he promised.

She smiled back, placing her hand in his.

XXXXX

That night, she went to bed feeling lighter than she had in a long time. It was the first sign of possibly repairing the Team that she'd grown to think of as family, her purpose in life, and she rolled over to face Tony as he slept peacefully, unable to keep a smile off her face as she thought of how far their relationship had come since the beginning and how it made sense that they would be working together to bring everyone back.

Once again, she marveled at how small and impossibly innocent he looked as he slept, uninterrupted by her eyes on him and she drifted off into her own slumber to the sounds of his soft, comfortable snores, the smile still on her face.

It didn't last long.

Hours later, she woke up screaming in a cold sweat, her heart pounding fiercely, her hands struggling in the tangled sheets as she sat up abruptly.

"Tasha," he whispered carefully, and she tensed as she felt his hand at her shoulder.

She turned around, her breathing still heavy and her face still a little wild. "I'm sorry I woke you," she said, her voice sounding uneven to her own ears. "Go back to sleep."

He was propping himself up on his elbows. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly. "I'm not exactly a stranger to nightmares."

She placed a hand to her head, pushing her sweaty hair back from her forehead as she tried to catch her breath and calm her nerves. "I suppose that makes sense, with nothing but terrorists and aliens to keep you company at night."

He offered her a half smile. He had pulled the sheets away from his torso and now she could see his face in the glow from his arc reactor. "That's not true anymore," he said. "Now I have purple blankets and yellow flowers to think about too."

She tried to smile for his benefit to show him that she appreciated the effort, but she wasn't sure how it came out. "My dreams are all covered in blood," she mumbled as she slowly lay back down, rolling away from him as if that would keep her from disturbing him again.

He didn't say anything else and she wondered if he'd gone back to sleep, but then she felt his hand, strong and steady on her waist as he reached across the space between them. She swallowed hard, debating on whether or not to descend on the inch he'd given her.

She slowly turned around, deciding that if he'd extended a little of himself, the least she could do was show him the same and she rolled closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He took her hand in his, squeezing it firmly. After awhile he nudged her gently with his arm. "C'mere, sweetheart," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He realized she was still shaking and he wrapped his other arm around her too.

She ducked her head into his chest, bringing her arm up to rest across his stomach and he held her closer, softly stroking her hair with one hand. "It's okay, darling," he whispered. "I got you."


	7. Chapter 7

She woke up slowly, her eyes coming into focus and it took her a moment to realize that she was still laying with her head against his chest, her arm draped over him, still clutching him close.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, gently brushing her hair back from her face with his hand.

The intimacy of the gesture wasn't lost on her and she eased up off of him, leaning back with her thighs against her calves. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he assured her.

She nodded, gazing at him for the first time and she couldn't help softening at his still half-sleepy expression, lazy smile and mussed hair sticking out in all directions.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Fine, after the first one. Guess you were right. You really did help keep the demons away."

He smiled, his eyes shining and his dimples showing, but he didn't say anything else.

"How do you do it?" She asked after awhile.

"Do what?"

"Just fall asleep when you're tired, and sleep through the whole night?"

He shrugged. "I already told you. I get nightmares too. Not a big deal."

"But you haven't the whole time you've been here," she pointed out thoughtfully.

He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Isn't it obvious? I feel safe with you."

Her eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly in surprise. "You mean, you feel safer with me, in my tiny apartment than in your own house?"

He pushed the covers aside, slowly starting to rise from the bed. "What, you want me to say it again?"

"You are safe here, Tony," she said quietly, suddenly realizing just how much she meant it.

He swallowed hard.

"Come on," she said. "I'll make you breakfast before you head to the Expo for your speech."

He nodded.

"Are you working today?" He asked idly.

"Yeah, I've got a…. secret thing, with Fury," she said. She thought for a moment, pulling some pancake mix out of one of the cupboards. "He wants to talk to you."

"Sorry, I'm busy," he said in a half-joking tone.

She rolled her eyes.

"You coming to the Expo for the announcement?" He asked.

"I'll try to make it," she offered.

He seemed satisfied with that.

XXXXX

The massive crowd was cheering wildly as Tony announced the Stark Tower project. The mayor of the city walked across the stage to shake his hand and stood next to the podium where Tony had made his speech from. He kept his hand on Tony's arm, posing for the cameras as if they were long time friends and Tony called for the head of the local union to join them onstage, stepping aside once the raucous had died down so the man could explain their plans.

Once he was safely behind the curtain, he pulled his glasses off, tucking them neatly into the pocket of his suit as he jogged down the few stairs and moved down the hall.

He frowned when he noticed the absence of his security, wondering briefly if Happy had gone on a firing spree and decided to just do it all himself again.

He was unbuttoning his cuffs and loosening his tie when he stepped backstage, his shoulders tensing when he saw the tall, dark frame standing in a corner with his arms folded and a stern expression on his face.

Natasha was perched on the arm of a chair a few feet away from him, eyeing Tony carefully and he thought that she at least had the decency to look a little nervous.

He nodded stoically to her, figuring that he'd make her squirm a little. "Agent Romanoff. Glad you could make it."

"Stark," Fury said.

"Fury," Tony greeted him. "Long time no see. Where's my security Team?"

"I gave them the night off," he said.

"Of course you did. It's alright. I'm safe with her, right?" He turned his attention back to Natasha. "Did you at least get to hear my speech?"

She nodded. "It was a good speech. You're doing a lot of good things for the city."

He smiled a slow, calculating smile. "So what brings you to my Expo? Trying to recruit me for your little S.H.I.E.L.D. revival number? Cause I already told Nat, I'm only in it if the Director's position is open."

Fury regarded him with an expression that clearly said he wasn't amused. "How does Director of Operations and Logistics sound?"

Tony's eyes widened. "See, that? That didn't sound like you were kidding," he said cautiously.

"Don't get too excited. I'm still running the show. But a new role you could work wonders in? That could be just what we need."

"After all these years, now you're telling me I do play well with others after all?" He slowly moved closer to them to stand next to Natasha.

"And why not? You've got the favor of the government. The people love you. Any agent who's still with us would follow you without question after the things you've done. And the Avengers-"

"See, that's the thing," Tony interrupted, holding his hand up firmly. "They'll be revising the Accords in a couple of days."

"I know what the revision is about," Fury said just as firmly, his eye unblinking. "And that just further proves my point."

Tony sighed. "I don't know, Nick. With everything that went down with S.H.I.E.L.D. and all the Avengers business on such shaky ground… I just don't know if I could." He turned back to Natasha. "I get why you're doing it, I really do. And it makes sense for you."

"We'll do it right this time," she said softly, her gaze intense. "On our terms. Maybe this is how we get everyone back together."

"She would know," Fury chimed in. "As she'll be your Assistant Director in your department."

His mouth set in a line. "I'll have to think about it. After we sign the new Accords."

He made a move for the door. "Oh, and next time you try to sneak into my space? Don't."

Natasha watched him walk out of the room, probably already in his Iron Man armor since that would make a quicker escape than his limo. "He'll come around," she said out loud. "He just needs time to process it and work out on his own how this will be in all of our best interests."

Fury raised an eyebrow at her. "You're getting soft," he said.

XXXXX

She was sitting on her couch with a book in her hand when he opened the door to her apartment later that night.

"I smell cheeseburgers," he said flatly.

"It's a peace offering," she said carefully. She patted the space next to her.

"I said I need some time," he gently reminded her.

"I know. We're not going to talk business." She reached for the remote, clicking on the t.v. "We could just hang out."

He sighed. "I'm not really a 'Netflix and chill' kind of guy," he said, although he was already sitting down next to her, his shoulder pressed lightly against hers as he reached for a burger.

She looked at him, but he didn't seem to notice or mind the contact as he relaxed and suddenly they were sitting almost back to back in comfortable companionship. "Well, we could watch more than just background noise anyway," she said.

He nudged her. "Since when is the Black Widow such a couch potato?"

"I'm not." She nudged him back. "We could go down the street to the gym and I could kick your ass instead."

He retaliated in a more playful manner, nudging her harder this time. "You mean I would kick your ass."

"You would embarrass yourself," she said, pushing back on him.

"Think so? N-Ro?" He said, jabbing her lightly in the ribs.

She leaned her back forward, trying to push into him at the same time he leaned away from her to face her and she lost her balance, her torso landing practically in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he caught her.

Their faces were inches apart and she could feel his breath on her face as her hands gripped his arms to steady herself, her eyes widening. His eyes were wide too when she finally looked up at him.

"Um, actually it's getting late," she said, jumping up from the couch suddenly. "We should probably get to bed."

"Uh, yeah," he agreed, finally looking away. "Yeah, we should do that."

She changed in the bathroom attached to her bedroom, figuring she would just take an extra long time brushing out her hair and slip into bed after he was already asleep, and even though he was curled up under the covers with his arm under the pillow and his back to her, she could tell that he was still wide awake.


	8. Chapter 8

They sat at the kitchen table, Natasha with a pad and pencil in her hand. "Lang?" She asked, chewing on the end of it.

"I'll call him this afternoon. Although I can't imagine that he'd want to talk to me…" Tony mused.

"There's still a cool factor in you contacting him that would get his attention faster than if I called him," she pointed out.

He nodded thoughtfully. "I'll talk to Clint too."

Natasha shook her head. "I'm going to visit them today. He really won't want to see you, but I've been in contact with him this whole time."

Tony sighed, covering his face with his hands.

"Hey," She said, gently nudging his shin under the table with her foot. "We can do this."

He gave her a soft smile. "See, this is why I need you."

"Then this is why you should come back to S.H.I.E.L.D. with me," she replied, her gaze steady on his.

He bit on a nail for a moment before saying, "Vision has been seeing Wanda on a regular basis, of course and honestly, I think you should call on T'Challa. It'll be good for him to hear from you, since he did bail you out and everything."

She nodded quietly, deciding not to point out that he'd ignored her statement. "I like this," she murmured.

He looked up from where he'd been setting himself reminders in his phone. "Hmmm? What?"

"Us working together again."

He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Me too," he said.

"But there can't be any more secrets between us in order for this to work."

"Like you and Fury hijacking my security team and ambushing me at my own event?" He replied, his tone stern although his expression was still soft on her.

"And like you dragging me into a situation where everyone else knows what's going on except me," she added.

"Hey, I said I was sorry for that!" He pouted. "I guess you're right, though. We won't always be able to win each other over with food."

"Speak for yourself," she said with a grin. "I've got a map of every greasy burger joint from here to Wakanda saved on my phone."

He laughed. "I'll have to borrow that when we're in D.C. tomorrow for sure. But seriously, just follow my one rule and we'll be fine."

She conceded with a meaningful look before turning her eyes back down to her pad. "Bruce?"

Tony shook his head. "He still hasn't answered any of my calls or texts."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone's heard from him since…." She trailed off with a frown. "That just leaves Sam."

"I'd say you should be the one to talk to him too, but I'm actually wondering if we shouldn't have Rhodey give him a call."

"That's not a bad idea," she said, feeling a swell of pride in her throat. "You're actually really good at this whole strategy thing."

"Yeah, well. Getting what I want was never exactly a problem before all this," He said with a chuckle. He stood up from his chair. "I just have something to do real quick and then I'll start with Scott."

"Okay. I better head to the farm if I'm going to get back before dark. See you tonight?"

"You know where I sleep," he said jovially, ruffling her hair affectionately before he turned to leave.

XXXXX

Her apartment was dark and empty when she got back later than evening with no sign of Tony, so she decided to slip into the bathtub. Seeing Clint and his family had been an emotional time for everyone involved, and even though no one on her contact list had hung up on her, she hadn't exactly been received warmly at first either.

She sunk as low as she could into the bubbles, pouring in some more bath salts as she did and closing her eyes as the warm water soothed her aching muscles. She was sure the following day would be long and difficult, but at least this time she'd have Tony with her.

She grinned at the thought of him, reaching for her phone on the edge of the tub and typing him a quick text to see what he wanted to eat for dinner.

An hour later and she realized with a start that she'd dozed off in the bath. She climbed out of the tub and quickly dried off before pulling on a robe, her skin a mixture of prunes and goosebumps.

She sighed when she checked her phone and found a text from Tony saying he wouldn't make it back in time for dinner, then laughed at a ridiculous meme from Clint that he'd clearly only sent to let her know that they would be okay.

An idle trip into the kitchen had her raiding the refrigerator for anything she could toss into a salad and she ate quickly, going over the notes they'd made that morning and double checking her flight reservations for the next day before getting ready for bed.

She frowned when she glanced at the cable box and realized it was nearly eleven. Where are you? She texted to Tony.

His response came a minute later, Sorry. Had to make a pit stop & got caught up in something. Don't wait up. X.

She lay down in her bed, trying to ignore the fact that even though she hadn't turned the air on to cool the sheets for him yet, it was still much colder without him. She scrolled through the news on her phone, pulling the covers tight around her shoulders as she told herself that he definitely would've contacted her if he needed her help and that he was absolutely okay. Even so, she checked every local blurb trying to figure out which one he was involved in until her eyes grew heavy and she couldn't make out the words anymore.

XXXXX

She startled awake when she felt the blankets shift, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized that he was crawling slowly into bed, unsuccessfully careful in trying not to wake her.

"Ssshhh," he whispered softly. "It's only me. I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you. Go back to sleep."

"Too late," she mumbled, turning around to face him. "I'm already up."

He pulled off his shirt, the glow from the arc reactor illuminating his grin. "Did you miss me?"

"Maybe a little," she said teasingly, watching as he settled down beside her. "Where were you?"

"I had to chaperone a class trip on the Staten Island Ferry. No big deal."

She reached for her phone, showing him a picture of the boat split in half. "Is this you?"

"Uh, is it me who did that? No, of course not. Is it me who saved the day? Yeah-huh."

"Right." She smiled. "And how is our little Spider-Boy these days?"

"He'll be fine. Just has to go through it, like we all did."

"I could've helped you, you know," she said softly against the pillow.

"I know. But it was fine." He leaned closer. "You would've been the first person I called if I needed to escalate it."

They were quiet for a long moment while he burrowed under the blankets, shifting to get in a comfortable spot.

She tilted her head up to look at him at the same time he moved his head forward and suddenly his face was right in front of hers, resting on the same pillow, so close she could feel his breath on her neck and smell the scent of his skin, almost feel the tickle of his beard on her cheek and then his mouth was on hers.

She nearly gasped, her eyes wide but it was so quiet in her room that she didn't want to disturb the silence and his eyes were closed as they were almost kissing, and she closed her eyes too, breathing him in as their lips were sliding and pressing against each other.

His mouth was warm and soft, just the gentle pressure of his lips against hers, kissing and kissing in the dark until they each drifted off, sharing the same breath.


	9. Chapter 9

He was leaning back with his legs outstretched across from her as they lounged in his private jet. "Lang's obviously still on house arrest, but he did say that he wouldn't be entirely opposed to talking once he's free in a couple of months."

"That's good news," Natasha said.

He studied her carefully. "How's Clint? And his family?"

"They're doing really well. He seems…. at home, at his home."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "That makes sense."

"You know what I mean. Anyway, he says he's going to stay retired for real this time, and honestly, I think we should let him." She bit her lip as she gazed back up at him, preparing for his reaction.

"Yeah," He said after a long moment. "I agree."

"Yeah?" She asked, a slight hint of surprise in her voice.

"Yeah." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, watching as she crossed some names off of her list with a pen. "Nat. Are we going to talk about last night?"

Her eyes widened and she froze, staring at her pad. "What about it?" She asked in a small voice, brushing her hair behind her ear.

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Tony…." She slowly looked up at him, searching for his eyes but he was wearing the darkest pair of glasses in his collection and it was hard to get a read on him.

"We have a lot of work to do, right?" He said softly.

She shook her head. "Right," she whispered.

XXXXX

They walked up to the lobby of the Capitol building and her eyes brightened when she saw Rhodey. He stood up from his perch on a bench, not without some effort and she took note of the absence of the walker Tony had mentioned.

She started to rush towards him, then hesitated when she remembered that she hadn't seen him since he was in the medical bay at the compound and she wasn't sure what he'd been thinking since then.

"Nat," he greeted her with a warm smile, opening his arms for a hug.

She grinned, eagerly stepping into his embrace, being careful not to disturb the braces on his legs as she hugged him fiercely. "Rhodey. It's so good to see you," she breathed.

"You too. And you," he said turning to Tony. "How are you feeling, man?"

Tony nodded. "I'm good. I'm good," he repeated.

"You don't have to be nervous," Natasha said softly. "We're right here with you."

"Yeah, that turned out real swell for us the last time, right? Are you sure you guys want to follow me again? What happens if I fail?"

"We won't let you," Rhodey promised.

Natasha nodded her agreement. "We're doing it right this time, or not at all."

"Do you think anyone else is in there?"

"Let's find out," Rhodey said. He placed a hand on Tony's arm, his grip tightening when he almost lost his balance as they stepped away, but Tony didn't falter, using all his strength to support his friend.

Natasha swallowed hard as she watched them, then she moved to his other side and slipped her hand into his in case he needed some extra support for himself and he squeezed her hand gratefully as the three walked through the doors of the conference room together.

She spotted Vision right away, and in a moment T'Challa approached them, shaking hands with Tony and Rhodey and kissing her softly on her cheek.

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark!" an enthusiastic voice called out and Tony's head snapped up in shock as Peter ran up to them.

"What are you doing here? You aren't even old enough to sign the Accords," Tony said, his voice half surprised and half teasing.

"Yeah, I know, but I figured you could use the moral support."

She glanced at him long enough to see his jaw go slack for just a second before he recovered himself and she wondered if he realized that they were still holding hands.

"Thanks, kid," He said quietly.

"Stark," T'Challa said. "It looks like they are ready for us. Are you ready?"

Tony nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

T'Challa patted his back. "You and I, we're in similar situations. We've both been put into a position where great things are expected of us. Whether we want that power or not, we each have a responsibility to do the right thing for the majority of the people."

Tony was visibly more relaxed, and he pushed his glasses up on his head, turning to Peter with an amused expression on his face. "Did he just say with great power comes great responsibility?"

Peter tried to hide his smile behind his hand. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, he did."

They all laughed, but then suddenly the absence of their other friends was very palpable.

"I am sorry that no one else showed up except for us," Vision said.

Tony shook his head. "This is already a win. We'll worry about the rest later."

The secretary's assistant nervously cleared his throat, clearly trying to get everyone's attention and they all dutifully took their places.

Ross addressed the room with a few words in favor of Tony, pointing out everything he'd done for the Avengers, particularly highlighting some of his industrial and monetary contributions to the nation and reminding everyone that he'd supported the Accords from the beginning before explaining the new powers that would be granted to him.

Natasha looked around the table, finding her teammates nodding along in agreement while Peter eagerly looked on from the corner of the room. Once the secretary was done with his address, they were each given time to review the changes before signing. The document was passed around the room, from Rhodey, to Vision, to T'Challa, to Natasha and back to Tony. She smiled encouragingly at him and he winked at her before inhaling deeply and signing it himself.

"I need some salty food, and lots of it," Tony said once they were all standing outside the capitol. "And I need you all to come with me."

"He likes when we're all together," Rhodey explained to T'Challa.

"And he didn't eat dinner yesterday because he got held up somewhere," Natasha said, looking pointedly at Peter.

"I believe there is a pub nearby," Vision said.

"You coming, Your Majesty?" Tony asked T'Challa in a way that didn't really leave any room for him to decline.

Once they were at the pub, they asked for a booth for six and then they all rushed to claim their spots.

"Hey, no drinking in front of the kid who can't drink!" Tony called as they passed around menus.

T'Challa took the chair at the head of the table and Natasha made a move to slide into the booth, but then Tony lightly touched her arm.

"Hey," he said quietly, pulling her off to the side while the others chatted loudly.

"Hey," she said, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You okay?"

"Cancel your flight home tonight," he said.

"What?"

"Come back to my place with me for a bit."

She thought for a moment, clearly caught off guard by his invitation. "Um… I don't know if I can. I have all this S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff to do and…"

"So? Take a vacation," he said. "It's not like you haven't earned it. Just come back on my plane with me tonight, even if it's just for a few days."

"I don't know…."

He sighed. "Look, when you're ready to head back to New York I'll…. go with you and we can have a meeting with Fury about the S.H.I.E.L.D. thing."

"Really?"

"Maybe." He swallowed hard. "Come on, let me spoil you for a little bit."

She nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "But we'll have to stop back at my apartment anyway so I can pack a bag…."

He smiled at her, a rare unguarded smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

XXXXX

Once they'd dropped Peter off in his neighborhood and stopped at Natasha's place to pick up her things, they piled back into the jet with Rhodey.

"When's the last time you saw the ocean?" Tony asked excitedly.

Natasha shook her head. "It's actually been a really, really long time."

"He's just bragging because you can see it from his house," Rhodey quipped from where he was trying to take a nap.

Natasha laughed as she settled down across from him, rubbing her arms.

"Are you cold?" Tony asked.

"A little," she admitted. "But it's fine."

"Hold on." He stood up, reaching into the overhead bin and pulling out a plush looking blanket. He draped it over her and she smiled gratefully, gesturing for him to sit next to her and he plopped down, so close to her that his knee was partially covered by the blanket.

After a moment, she reached under it to hold his hand. He turned his eyes to look at her, but his face betrayed nothing as he tightened his fingers around hers under the blanket, his thumb slowly rubbing across her knuckles.


	10. Chapter 10

"This is me," Tony said as they stepped out of the elevator. She followed him into his private quarters, unable to keep the awe out of her expression as they walked across the room and out through the glass doors onto the balcony that overlooked the beach.

He smiled as he watched her and her cheeks flushed a little when she caught his eye. "It's gorgeous," she said.

He handed her a key about the size of a credit card. "That's your access card. Just tap it on any of the doors. I've also set up a temporary alarm code for you. I'll text it to your secure line."

She took the card from him, gazing up at him. "I'm so going to get lost in this place."

"No, you're not," He said with an amused grin. "Besides, you've been here before."

"Not since you rebuilt it," she pointed out.

"In the same spot!"

"It's way bigger! Besides, I didn't have access to everything when I worked for you. Certainly not your real bedroom."

"That was your choice," he said with a shrug. "You'll be fine. And if you really get lost you can always call for F.R.I. ."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" He said. "You'll listen for Nat, right?"

"Sure thing, Boss!" Came the A.I.'s enthusiastic reply.

"And you won't steer her wrong just to mess with her, right?" He said with a gleam in his eye.

"Of course not, Boss."

He winked at her. "See? You're fine. Now which room do you want? Pick your favorite out of the seventeen. And if the one you want doesn't already have a bed in it, I'll have one brought in for you."

She moved purposefully across the room, laying face down on his mattress. "This'll do," she said.

He sighed. "Of course you'd pick my room just cause you know you can. Guess I'll just grab your suitcase and I'll be down the hall."

"Why?" She asked, picking her head up to look at him. "We're adults, right?"

He flopped down on the bed, leaning on his side. "Yeah."

"So… we can share," she said quietly, gazing at him through a curtain of red hair.

He smiled, another genuine smile. "Yeah, we can."

"I mean, if it's alright with you. I was just kidding. Mostly." She rolled over onto her back.

"It's alright with me," he said softly, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face.

"Hands where I can see them at all times, Stark," she murmured, her eyes on him.

He put his hands behind his head as he lay back, kicking the covers loose. "I have actually put a lot of time and effort into making it seem like I don't just want to sleep with you," he murmured back. His eyes widened."I mean… that I do just want to sleep with you? Wait, let me start over…."

She smiled, ducking her head into a pile of pillows.

"You can just shove them off the bed if they're too much for you," he added.

She shook her head. "I love it. All of it."

"Good. Then sleep tight, darling."

XXXXX

It was mid-morning the next time she opened her eyes and she stretched out comfortably across the empty side of the bed. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., did Tony leave the house?" She asked as she sat up.

"Boss is downstairs in his workshop. You can take the elevator to the ground level, turn left and walk down the steps. But you'll have to knock. He's the only one who has access."

"Thanks, F.R.I.D.A.Y." She said warmly as she headed towards the elevator.

"No problem, N-Ro," the A.I. said cheerily.

She cringed. "Please, no matter what Tony says, don't ever call me that," she insisted.

"Understood, Lady Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

She shook her head as she stepped out of the elevator, following the A.I.'s directions and knocking on the glass panel. It opened in an instant and she stuck her head in, looking around the room for Tony and finding him in the middle of the room in front of a large console.

"Can I come in?" She asked when he looked up.

"Of course," he said, waving her over.

She slowly stepped inside, gazing in wonder at his high-tech workspace. "What are you working on?" She asked once she'd taken everything in.

"C'mere," he murmured, pulling something up from the table and handing it to her.

She took it from him curiously, her eyes widening when she saw the shape of one of her batons.

"Squeeze in the middle and flick your wrist," he said, folding his arms across his chest as he watched her.

She did what he instructed, her mouth falling open when four columns of purple light lit up the outside of the baton.

"Careful, though. They're loaded with a stunning power, kind of a like a mixture of electricity and your Widow's Bite cartridges."

"You-you put the purple in," She said in awe.

He grinned. "I put the purple in. Just wait until you see what your suit is going to look like."

She set the baton down on the table, moving forward and throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she breathed.

He hugged her around her waist. "I figure now that we're getting things rolling I should get started on the suits and weapon upgrades. I suppose it's only a matter of time."

She nodded.

He cocked his head to the side. "How'd you sleep?"

"It's ten-thirty," she said. "How do you think?"

He laughed.

"I can't believe you slept so easily in my tiny apartment and not in your luxurious bed," she said.

He shrugged. "Maybe it's because you took such good care of me." He moved away from his console. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. I hope you brought a swimsuit."

She gazed at him quizzically.

"Well, you can't exactly come to California and not go to the beach," He said. "You can change upstairs in my room, if you want. I'll come get you in a few?"

She nodded.

XXXXX

Once she was upstairs, she pulled some things out of her suitcase and stared at two different bathing suits: a sleek red one-piece with large oval cutouts on either side and a tiny black two-piece. She pulled up her shirt, running a finger over the scar on her stomach next to her left hip.

It had been six years since she'd worn a bikini. She picked up the red swimsuit, holding it against her body as she gazed out the window at the beach. The private beach that they'd be the only ones on. She thought for a moment of all the different types of scars that he'd shown her with ease during the week he'd spent at her place and she straightened up when she heard him calling to her.

"Coming!" She shouted, quickly slipping into the black bikini and opening the door.

He froze for a moment and she saw his pupils dilate as his eyes swept briefly over her curves, but he either didn't notice the scar or he didn't care and she loved him a little for it.

"Uh, sorry," he said, shaking his head to clear it. He gestured over his shoulder to the elevator.

"It's okay," she said, following him out of the room.

He showed her the fastest way from the mansion to the beach and she stepped out onto sand that was whiter than the moon on a clear night.

"I'll race you to the water!" He shouted playfully and she took off after him, the sand spraying on either side of them as they rushed laughing into the surf.

The water felt cold and she dipped under for a few seconds, coming up to find that he'd done the same thing and she smiled happily as she waded over to him.

He took her hands in his and they floated for a moment, until he got a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"What?" She said cautiously. "What are you thinking?"

He took hold of her waist and she squealed loudly as he lifted her straight up into the air.

"Tony, no!" she yelled, half laughing as he held her up against him, twirling her around.

A wave crested behind him, sending him falling into the surf and she tumbled after him.

He reached for her hand, pulling her up when the wave receded and she rubbed the water from her eyes.

He was laughing so hard he was nearly gasping to catch his breath and she moved closer to him.

He took her hands, pulling her forward and she put her arms around his neck, holding onto him as much as she could.

His eyes were shining and his arms were strong around her and she couldn't help noticing the beads of water trickling down his shoulders and chest as he leaned closer, his lips wet and close and then another wave came crashing over them and she lost her grip on him for a moment.

She stood up in the water once she regained her balance, taking a few steps backwards towards the shore and he followed her.

"Are you getting cold?" He asked.

"A little," she admitted. "And my skin is getting all pruney," she added, holding up her hands.

"Your skin is perfect," he said. "But come on, let's get you dried off."

They walked across the sand to the table on his patio and he grabbed an oversized beach towel, wrapping it around her shoulders before he took one for himself.

She wrapped her arms around herself, burrowing into the terrycloth and he placed his arms on either side of her shoulders, rubbing the towel over her.

"Better?" He asked, his eyes on hers.

She nodded.

"Good," he said softly, touching a hand under her chin. "Now, let's try that again, shall we?"

She kept her wide eyes on him, unable to speak as he leaned his face towards her and then he was kissing her, soft and slow and she closed her eyes as she slowly began to kiss him back.

His mouth was just as soft as she remembered from that one night in her bedroom and she sighed softly against his lips as he slid them against hers, leaning into him and suddenly aware of how little clothing they were wearing as her bare skin pressed into his.

She took in a shaky breath, opening her eyes slowly as they pulled slightly away. "I was afraid it would feel like this," she breathed.

"I know," he whispered softly. "But you don't have to be."

She ducked her head into him, leaning her forehead against his chest.

"You're safe here," he said gently.

She nodded wordlessly.

"Let's go back inside so we can change out of these wet clothes," he suggested, his mouth against her hair.

She nodded again, letting him take her hand as he led her back into his house.

She changed quickly into a comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt, tugging a towel on her wet strands as she came out of the bathroom to find him already dressed in his own loungewear, hair damp and skin clean.

"Hey, Nat?" He asked, his voice hopeful.

"Hmmm?"

"I'd like to take you out," he said softly. "What do you think?"

"Like on a date?" She asked.

"Very much on a date," he answered, his gaze steady on her.

She thought for a moment. "There is something I wanted to do while I'm here…"

"Great," he said with a relieved smile. "Name it."

She picked her phone up off his nightstand, typing something and holding it up to show him a picture.

"A ballet?" He said, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"The Russian Ballet." She nodded. "Is it really far?"

He shook his head. "No, it's only like an hour drive from here. Not that that matters."

"Can we go?" She asked quietly.

He took her hands in his. "Of course we can go. I'll get the tickets and we can go tomorrow," he said eagerly.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Okay," he said, raising her hands to his lips and pressing a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist.


	11. Chapter 11

She went through her suitcase, tossing all her clothes on the bed as she searched for something appropriate to wear. She'd never been the type to change her outfit six times before a date, but she knew a night out with Tony Stark wouldn't be like any other night out.

In the end she chose a deep purple dress that came down to her knees and flattered her figure, knowing that it would bring out the green in her eyes. She dug through her delicates, smiling when she found a cute yellow lacey matching set. Oh, no, she thought to herself immediately after.

She dressed quickly, then took her time brushing her hair and trying to focus on not thinking about her underwear and then it was time to meet Tony downstairs.

He was standing near the steps to his workshop, decked out in a perfectly tailored, three piece light gray suit that was clearly custom made to his build and his taste.

"Damn, Stark," she breathed when she saw him.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up as he caught her gaze. "You look gorgeous, as always, my darling," he said, offering her his arm.

She slipped her arm through his, her pale skin contrasting with the gray of his jacket and he paused.

"You might want to take a coat, or something. It can get pretty chilly in that area at night."

"I don't think I brought anything all that warm…." She said with a frown. "It's fine."

"Hold on," He said, breaking contact with her long enough to jog up a short flight of stairs. He returned a moment later with a floor length silk wrap, white and sparkly and she inhaled deeply when she saw it.

"Wow," she said.

"It belonged to my mom," he told her, running a hand over it fondly before holding it out to her.

"Oh, no, Tony, I can't…. " she said softly.

"Please," he said.

She nodded wordlessly.

"May I?" He asked, waiting for her to nod again before he swept behind her, carefully helping her into it.

"Beautiful," he murmured, gazing at her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

XXXXX

He pushed his glasses up on his nose as they pulled up in front of the theater. "Ready to go, N-Ro?"

"Can you take those off?" She asked quietly.

He obliged, tucking them into his pocket and looking at her for a moment before he moved to take the keys out of the ignition.

"And I thought we talked about you never calling me that ever again," she said. "What does that even mean anyway?"

He handed his keys to the valet and took her arm again. "It's your celebrity name. You know, like J-Lo."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I got that."

He shrugged. "It's what people will call you if any more photographers get a picture of you with me."

She shook her head. "You're ridiculous. Does that mean I can call you T-Star?"

He grinned as he escorted her into the theater. "Well, technically it's A-Star, which I already know I am. So we can move on."

She couldn't help smiling, leaning closer to him as an usher took them to their box seats in the VIP area.

"Tony," she breathed, eyes wide.

"Not so ridiculous now, am I?" He murmured.

All around them, people were staring and whispering and nudging one another, but nobody approached them and she was glad. She was sure he must have noticed that he'd caught people's attention but he didn't seem to care, settling back into his seat and reaching across hers to place a steady hand on her knee.

She placed her hand over his, lacing their fingers together and then the lights dimmed and the overture started playing and she was transported to another time and place as the dancers moved across the stage as if they were performing an intimate show, just for her.

She was completely spellbound as she watched the elegant movements and took in the delicate scenery, only tearing her eyes away to momentarily check on Tony to make sure he wasn't too bored. She figured he'd be leaning back against his chair, half-asleep or stone-faced but when she glanced in his direction, he was totally engaged, a beautiful expression on his face that was almost haunted, his eyes wide and his jaw relaxed.

It was hard to tear her eyes away from him, but a poignant melody that she recognized from years ago started to play and she was once again taken away.

XXXXX

The audience gave a standing ovation when the performance ended and she stood, almost having to remind herself to breathe again as she applauded the familiar dancers.

"What did you think?" She asked him, turning to look at him.

"It was beautiful," he said quietly. "Did you enjoy it?"

She nodded. "Very much. Thank you."

"My pleasure," he said, raising her hand to his lips.

He only let go of her hand long enough to open the car door for her and tip the valet, then he was holding it again when he was back in the driver's seat.

"I thought we'd do drinks and dessert at my place, unless you wanted to go out somewhere," he said.

She shook her head. "No, that sounds perfect."

He was quiet as he drove home and she didn't say anything either, clutching his hand in comfortable silence.

He didn't make a move to get out of the car when it was stopped, instead turning to look at her. "I really want to kiss you," he said softly.

She leaned her head against the back of the seat as she looked back at him. "I really want you to kiss me, too," she whispered.

He moved closer, his hand sliding along her jaw and resting on her cheek, as he slowly pressed his lips to hers.

She closed her eyes, burying her fingers in his hair as she kissed him back.

He kissed her softly for awhile before he was pressing his lips harder against hers and she opened her mouth against his to escalate the kiss, sighing softly as he slid his tongue over hers.

She leaned her forehead against his when they stopped.

"Ready for dessert?" He asked softly, and she nodded.

He led her back into the house, took her wrap and hung it up before taking her up the elevator and through his room to the balcony, where the table was already set with decadent pastries and what looked like an extremely expensive bottle of white wine.

She put a hand to her chest, touched that he'd clearly been planning this.

"You like?" He asked.

She smiled. "I'm impressed."

"Good," he said. "That's the idea."

She bit into a flaky dessert, savoring the cream on the inside as she looked at him sitting across from her. "Tony," she said softly. "The show. What was that to you?"

He thought for a moment while he swallowed a piece of cake. "It was a remarkable story about the strength of the human spirit, and what happens when you learn that you don't have to just be what people want you to be when they try to confine you to your shell. That you could shed all that and rise out of the shadows, no matter what hardships you have to overcome."

She took a long sip of the sweet wine before setting her glass down, her eyes still on him as she rose up out of her chair and moved to his side of the table.

He gazed at her in surprise as she sat down on his lap, then pushed his seat back from the table to give her more room as he settled his arms around her waist. "You okay?" He asked gently.

"Yeah," she quietly replied. "I just wanted to be close to you."

"Then you stay close, my dear," he murmured. "And let me take care of the rest."

He gently brushed his fingers through her hair, moving it away from her shoulders before lowering his head and kissing her softly below her ear.

She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as he kissed down the length of her neck, his beard tickling her shoulder until he moved his mouth back up her throat and to her jaw.

She tilted her head to the side letting out a soft moan as he continued kissing her neck, her body responding to him instantly as he quickly figured out where to suck and where to nibble and she shivered.

"Tony," she breathed, squirming in his lap as he devoured her. "That feels good."

"Mmmm…. how good?" He murmured, sucking her earlobe into his mouth.

"Too good," she whispered.

"Okay," he said, raising his head.

She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him and trailing her fingers through his hair, lightly scraping her nails against his scalp and he sighed.

She rested her head against his shoulder, gazing over the balcony to the ocean below. "This view is incredible," she said. "As much as I love living in New York, I think if I was this close to the stars I'd never want to leave."

He sniffed, his eyes growing wistful. "You know, it's funny. When I was a kid I always wanted to just fly away from here. And now that I can actually fly, this is my favorite place to be."

She tightened her hold on him.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked after a moment.

"Here?" She said with a note of surprise. "But there's no music."

He nudged her lightly and she stood up to let him move and he took her hand, leading her away from the table into the open space. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.? Do we have any Sinatra on our playlist?"

A slow song started to play and she smiled as she stepped into his embrace, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and clasping their fingers together as he took her waist.

They swayed together slowly in the moonlight.

"You know, you can be pretty sweet," she said softly. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Usually ladies when they just want to sleep with me, but I don't think they were ever serious."

"Hmmm…." She answered. "Well, technically I'm already sleeping with you, so you know I'm telling you the truth."

He laughed a little as he pulled her closer, his smile reaching his eyes.

"I like when you smile like that," she said, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Like what?"

"Like you mean it." She rested her head against his shoulder as they swayed.

"Nat?" He murmured, his mouth against her hair.

"Hmmm?"

"I don't know what's happening between us these past couple of weeks, but I like it."

"Me too," she whispered. "I just want to hold onto you for as long as I can."

"I'm really, really okay with that," he said.

"It's going to be really weird not having you around all the time when I have to leave."

"So stay another week."

"Tony."

"What? I don't care, stay for a month if you want."

She pulled away far enough to look at him. "Or you could come back to New York with me."

He shrugged.

"We'll have to get back to work eventually," she said gently.

"And then what?"

"Then… we still hold onto each other?"

He nodded, pulling her back into his chest. "Can't we just dance for now?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Tasha!" He shouted. His voice sounded strained and far away and she wanted to get to him, but there was something heavy on her chest and she couldn't move. She pushed hard against the object with all her might, her head jerking from one side to another and her arms flailing even though they felt heavy too.

"Tash, it's me!"

Her eyes shot open and she tried to pull her arms back, but two metal fists were encircled around her wrists, restraining her movements.

"Easy," he murmured, still holding her down as her chest heaved with aching breaths. "Don't fight me."

"Tony," she croaked, her body stilling as she looked into his eyes, illuminated in the glow from the arc reactor.

"You were having another nightmare," he said, slowly loosening his grip on her and backing away even slower, keeping his hands where she could see them as the Iron Man gauntlets faded until it was just him and he was sitting on his knees in front of her as she sat up.

Her eyes widened and she gasped loudly, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my God," she said, her eyes teary. "Did I… did I attack you?" She whispered in horror.

"It's fine," he said, finally letting out a breath. "All that matters is you're okay."

She shook her head. "No…no…no…. "

"How often do you have dreams like that?" He wondered.

"Not very often. I'm sorry. Are you alright?" She sank back against the headboard, studying him carefully.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" His hands hovered in the space between them but he stayed back, clearly caught between wanting to comfort her and not wanting to crowd her.

She nodded. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Maybe just my ego."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You were calling Steve's name," he explained, a little tentatively.

She put her hand over her mouth. "Tony… I can't. I can't choose between you and Cap," she whispered tearily.

He sighed in understanding. "That's what all this is about? You're worried about The Avengers?"

She didn't say anything, her eyes still trained on his.

"Look, Nat, I get it. And I promise I won't be mad if you work with him. But you have to know that I can't follow when you do."

"Tony…"

"He killed my parents!"

She shrank back, her eyes widening at the painful expression in his face as she silently waited for him to continue.

" Steve knew that Barnes…. that Barnes killed my parents. He-he watched the video with me and he still left. They just left and I- I know that he's still your friend and he's still Captain America and believe me, darling, I get it, I really really do. But Godammit, Tasha. At some point, I am going to need somebody to choose me."

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she watched him catch his breath after his emotional outburst and then in one, quick motion she pushed herself forward, arms wrapping around his shoulders, knees straddling his hips and thighs pressed against his as she was practically sitting on him. Her lips pressed fiercely against his, nearly forcing his mouth open as she pushed her tongue in, her arms pulling his upper body flush against hers as she kissed him passionately.

He couldn't help letting a moan escape from his throat as her mouth devoured his and his arms went around her waist even as her hands were tugging roughly at his hair.

They were both panting heavily when they finally had to pull apart for air and she leaned her forehead against his, her fingers stroking his neck on either side.

"I choose you," she whispered, sliding her hands down his bare chest as she ducked her head to place heated kisses all along his neck. "Baby. I choose you. And I want you."

"Yeah?" He murmured, nipping at her bottom lip.

"Yeah," she breathed, reaching for the hem of her shirt and pulling it off over her head.

"I want you," he groaned in between kisses. "So bad."

She moved her hands deliberately down his stomach as she kissed him, feeling a quiver in his belly that made her want to get her hands all over the rest of him and see what else his body would give her.

He gripped her hips, grinding his own up into her and letting her feel him through the thin fabric of both of their pajama pants.

"Tony," she breathed, her eyes closing as she pushed back against him.

"That's my girl," he said huskily, rolling his hips in a way that caused her to moan deeply. "Okay?" He whispered and she nodded.

He lowered his head, kissing her neck as he slowly lowered her into the mattress, one hand cradling her head while the other removed clothing and touched her in her most secret places.

Her back pressed against the bed, his skin warm and soft as he lay on top of her, and they were kissing and touching each other and it was so close, so personal, and so intimate, more intimate than she'd ever been with a man before and she rolled him over onto his back, straddling him and kissing down his chest as she took control.

"Tasha," he moaned, his hands in her hair as they kissed heatedly and the way he was moving under her had her questioning how much longer she could maintain any pretense of control .

"I choose you," she repeated against his mouth.

"Here, c'mere," he murmured as he slowly started to switch their positions.

She pressed her hands against his chest, her mouth nibbling at his neck.

"Hey, hey trust me," he whispered, raising one hand up to place over hers where it lay over his heart as he looked up at her.

She nodded wordlessly, her eyes wide as her gaze held his and he gently rolled them over.

"I've never been this close to another person before," she said, her voice catching.

"Me neither," he murmured, pushing her hair back with his hand as he leaned over her.

He leaned down to kiss her and she closed her eyes, her arms wrapped firmly around him, pulling him against her. He moved his hips and she reached into his pants, her mouth swallowing his deep moan as she stroked him.

His hand trailed from her hair, down her arm, her side and then he pushed it into her panties, moving his fingers until she came before he pulled his own pants down.

"It's okay, it's just us. Just you and me," he whispered with his mouth pressed against hers.

She kept her eyes locked on his, her mouth on his and then she spread her legs for him, at last giving in to his push and pull.


	13. Chapter 13

Mid-Februaries were still cold in New York City and as used to the elements as she was, even Natasha was bundled up from head to toe as she stepped out of the limo and onto the busy sidewalk.

She took a deep breath, letting the cool air enter her lungs and a bright smile warmed her face as she took the gloved hand that was held out to her. It was good to finally be home.

She leaned her head up, kissing his cheek softly. He was shaking, but she wasn't sure how much of it was from the cold and how much was nerves.

He paused once they stepped in front of the property, his hand closing around an object in his pocket and he pulled it out, holding it up in front of him and staring at it.

"You don't have to make that decision yet," Natasha said softly as she watched him flip open the small cell phone.

"Good," Tony answered. "Because right now I don't think I can decide anything more important than what color curtains I want in my office."

"Come on," she said gently as she tugged on his hand. "Let's go see it."

He fell into step beside her, placing his thumb on the keypad to capture his fingerprint and the doors slid open in a silent greeting.

"Boss, I'm here," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice sounded after a moment.

"Excellent. Talk to me, F.R.I.D.A.Y." He was gazing around the lobby, idly inspecting things like paint, cleanliness and décor, but of course it was all in pristine condition and set perfectly to his liking.

"The tower resembles your old one, but has forty-two floors. That's sixteen more than the former Stark Tower, also known as the Avengers Tower," the A.I. recited. "Your office is located on the sixth floor per your direction. Perhaps you'd like to start there?"

"Sure," Tony said, and Natasha pressed the button on the elevator.

Uniformed people were milling about, passing in and out of the elevator doors as it stopped on nearly every floor on the way up, and they all stopped what they were doing when they saw him, offering warm greetings and cheerful thank-yous.

"The elevators are nearly three times as fast as the ones in the Avengers compound and five times faster than the old tower thanks to your advancements in energy and technology," F.R.I.D.A.Y. continued.

"Don't be nervous," Natasha whispered into his ear once they stopped on the sixth floor. "You're going to be just fine." She placed a firm and steady hand at the back of his shoulder as they continued on.

"Sir," Maria Hill met them at the door. "Right this way, Boss." She gestured for them to follow and they walked down a long hall.

"I'm not your-" He stopped abruptly when she darted a gaze over her shoulder. "Tony is fine," he mumbled.

Natasha squeezed his hand as they stopped in front of a door with a big symbol.

"The S.H.I.E.L.D. logo is on the doors of every office higher than the fifth floor, per standard design of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said cheerfully. "But none are so big as the one entering this office, decorated in the signature bold red and gold colors of the Iron Man suits."

Maria opened the door, stepping aside as she did so and waiting for them to enter.

"I just love what you did with the place."

Tony kept his eyes forward and his mouth in a line as he took in the sight of Nick Fury, reclining in a chair with his feet on the desk and his arms folded behind his head. "The red curtains are a little bit much for me, but then again this isn't my office, is it?"

"Maybe we should give him a moment to take it all in," Maria called from the doorway.

Fury grinned, rising up from the chair and patting Tony on the back on the way out.

Natasha rushed to the window, opening the curtains and gazing down at the busy city streets below.

Tony followed, his eyes sweeping over his surroundings before he joined her.

She looked up at him, studying him with wide eyes. "Did we get it right?"

He nodded and she smiled brightly as she threw her arms around him.

"Welcome home, Director Stark," she said before kissing him deeply.

A slow smile spread across his face as he embraced her just as fiercely. "Come on, Agent Romanoff. We've got a lot of work to do."


End file.
